The world is rapidly changing every day, and the way we work is no exception. Gone are the days when we had to be confined to corporate spaces from 9 to 5. Today, technology has empowered us to work anywhere, anytime. Remote work has become increasingly popular, and more and more companies have started shifting to this modern approach. Today, we are going to explore the intricacies of starting a fully remote company, including all the aspects one should consider to establish and maintain a thriving business model.

Study the Top Business Models for Remote Work

First and foremost, it is crucial to study the top business models for remote work. Successful remote companies utilize various models, including all-remote, hybrid, and satellite teams. They may also go for flexible work schedules instead of a rigid 9 to 5 model. It's essential to research which model is best suited to your company's structure and operations.

This structure is beneficial as it separates the business owner's personal assets from those of the company, creating a shield against potential financial issues. By establishing your business as an LLC, you not only gain tax benefits but also safeguard your personal finances from any potential business liabilities. This is especially critical for new businesses that face a higher degree of risk. Registering as an LLC will require you to name a registered agent and create an operating agreement. 

Creating a marketing plan for your remote business is crucial for building brand visibility and attracting customers in the digital realm. It involves identifying target audiences, setting clear goals, utilizing various online marketing channels, and leveraging technology to effectively communicate and promote your products or services to your audience.

Finding the right people to work for a fully remote company can be challenging since you are not limited by geographic location. It is essential to determine the employee recruitment method that works best for your company, such as social media recruitment campaigns, online job boards, and leveraging professional networks. Ensure that you have a clear recruitment process in place.

Creating and maintaining a unique company culture is crucial for remote companies. Since employees are scattered across different parts of the world, it is essential to establish a culture that values individuality and diversity, promoting an inclusive community. The culture should be communicated and reinforced continuously through virtual gatherings, wellness classes, and mentorship programs.

Utilize Platforms for Effective Employee Engagement

Clear communication is essential for building an effective remote team. It is necessary to utilize efficient communication platforms that enable teams to collaborate, share documents, and update each other on project updates. One such platform is Doozy, which provides a space for virtual teams to communicate and work together seamlessly.

Start a fully remote company successfully by planning carefully, focusing on transparency and communication, and fostering a culture of inclusivity and individuality. Put together a document management system, train your team to collaborate effectively, and use tools and software that streamline your virtual workflow. With the right strategies and practices, running a remote company can lead to exciting possibilities and opportunities.

Navigating the Intricacies of Starting a Fully Remote Company

Slack is one of the most popular communication apps for the workplace, with more than 100,000 companies using it to connect their employees. 

In busy workplaces, where deadlines and deliverables take center stage, celebrating teammates' birthdays, work anniversaries or accomplishments might seem small, but it's really important. These events help everyone feel like a team and show that you value what people bring to the table. 

So how can you use Slack to celebrate significant moments in your team? Here are 5 of the best Slack apps for team celebrations. 

Yes, that’s us! Doozy automatically keeps track of all birthdays and anniversaries, sends reminders to managers and lets you create one-off celebrations.

Integrates directly with your HRIS, so no need to manually add data

Celebrations are customizable: keep them as text-based posts, or include images or GIFs

Create virtual cards for the whole team to sign

Upcoming notifications for managers and team members

Create custom celebrations and one-off cards

Celebrations are just one feature of the Doozy, along with Coffee Chats, Trivia, Icebreakers and Socials. 

Not the cheapest option, but the automations and additional features make it well worth it

CelebrationsBot provide a basic way for you to keep track of and notify the team about birthdays and work anniversaries. 

You can create custom celebrations for occasions other than birthdays and anniversaries

Data input for significant dates appears to be manual

Celebration notifications are limited to text-based posts

Donut Celebrations features customizable, automated posts in the channel of your choice for birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays. 

Team members can personalize their own settings, opting in/out of each celebration

You can create custom celebrations, including images

Data input is manual: individual users are asked to input their own data, or companies are asked to upload manually in bulk

Price: From $49 per month based on 24 users to $399+ for over 100 users

You can generate fun custom celebration messages with AI

You can choose from a library of suggested templates and GIFs to enhance your celebration messages

Users need to add their own dates for birthdays, anniversaries etc.

Price: Free during early access; future pricing not confirmed

Customizable congratulation packs are available

Price: From $0.60 / user / month for birthdays only, $1.59 for birthdays and anniversaries

Losing a new hire to the void of "employee ghosting" is like a cliffhanger in a detective series - you're left wondering who did it and why. 

But don't let your company's story end in mystery. With a solid pre-onboarding program, you can create an engaging overall employee onboarding experience that keeps them from vanishing into thin air. In this article, we'll give you the lowdown on building an effective pre-onboarding program, so you can finally solve this mystery.

First things first. You might have an onboarding process in place, but why does having a pre-onboarding process matter? The answer is simple - it can help prevent new employees from reconsidering the start, or even going as far as not showing up for the first day. From an HR metrics perspective, this will improve your overall retention rates. So, a strong pre-onboarding process ensures that new hires feel welcomed, supported, and prepared before their official start date. 

These are some of the critical steps: coordinating with HR, scheduling team meetings and sending invites, matching new hires with onboarding buddies, and establishing a plan for follow-ups. With these measurements, you can create a comprehensive program that sets your incoming employees up for success. In the following sections, we'll delve deeper into the four phases of pre-onboarding and provide tips and best practices for each stage.

Employee Pre-Onboarding Best Practice: Create Fire For Day One With A Swag Box

Why: Providing a pre-boarding swag box filled with company-branded useful items.
Key learning:  A pre-boarding swag box creates excitement and serves as a bridge between the day a candidate accepts the offer and the beginning of the onboarding process.

Creating a fire for day one is crucial to ensure that new employees are excited and prepared for their journey ahead. A pre-onboarding swag box can act as a bridge between the day a candidate accepts an offer and the beginning of the official onboarding process. 

It's a great way to show appreciation and create a sense of belonging before the first day on the job. Along with the swag box, outlining a comprehensive pre-onboarding process via email allows you to create a welcoming and inclusive environment, share important information about company policies and values, and match new hires with onboarding buddies who can offer 1-on-1 guidance and support. 

Employee Pre-Onboarding Best Practice: Onboarding Buddy And Structured Training Timelines

Why: Assigning an onboarding buddy to each new hire who serves as a guide and point of contact throughout the onboarding process. Creating a structured training timeline that maps out key milestones and includes ongoing feedback and check-ins.
Key learning: An onboarding buddy provides a supportive relationship, helps new hires build connections, and increases retention rates. A structured training timeline ensures new hires have clear expectations, establishes accountability, and increases job satisfaction.

The next key to a successful pre-onboarding program is having onboarding buddies and structured training timelines. The onboarding buddy program can help new employees feel more comfortable and confident during their integration period. As we explored in our previous article, "What Is An Onboarding Buddy?", assigning a mentor or buddy to new employees can help them acclimate to the company culture and understand their role within the organization. Additionally, creating a structured training timeline can ensure that the new employee receives the necessary training to perform their job successfully. This timeline should include details on what training will be provided, who will conduct the training, and how long it will take. By providing a clear roadmap for training, new employees can feel more confident and prepared for their new role. It's important to note that although pre-onboarding ends with the first day of work, the overall process should seamlessly continue well into the employee's onboarding over the first few months on the job as we will see in the following chapter.

Employee Pre-Onboarding Best Practice: Ongoing Support & Follow Ups

Why: Providing ongoing support and follow-ups to new employees before their official start date to ensure a smooth and successful onboarding experience.

Key learning: Providing ongoing support and communication before an employee's start date can increase their engagement, reduce first-day confusion, and set the tone for a successful onboarding experience.

Following up with new hires is crucial to ensuring a smooth overall onboarding process. Establishing a plan for reviews and review milestones can help new employees feel supported and valued. It also provides an opportunity to address any concerns and offer additional support. 

From Mystery to Success: Prioritizing Pre-Onboarding

In today's highly dynamic job market, a company's pre-onboarding process can make or break an employee's journey even before the actual job journey has started. By prioritizing pre-onboarding, and providing ongoing support and opportunities for growth, companies can set themselves apart and light up the fire of their new employees. 

Don't let your new hires disappear into thin air - create a successful onboarding process from day one!

How To Build A Successful Employee Pre-Onboarding Program

Embark on a thrilling ride with employee onboarding software, much like a magic carpet taking your new hires on a journey through the wonders of your organization. 

With the right onboarding software, you can provide an engaging and enjoyable experience that leaves your new hires excited to start their new adventure with your team. In this article, we will fly through reasons, why investing in employee onboarding software benefits companies and further touch upon five software options that will make your life easier and more efficient. So get ready to elevate your onboarding process to new heights with the magic of technology! 🪄

5 Of The Best Employee Onboarding Software Tools

🤩 Engaging: Okay, okay, we might be a little biased, but we promise it's only because we've found something truly magical for you. Doozy connects teams directly in Slack and prioritizes making the onboarding process fun and engaging for new hires. Our platform offers features such as interactive icebreakers, quizzes, and social activities, which help new hires feel welcome and excited to join the company. Doozy also provides a platform for you to create your own bespoke icebreakers and quizzes. By using Doozy, companies can make the onboarding experience more enjoyable for their new hires, leading to increased engagement, productivity, and retention.

📑 Streamlined: BambooHR helps streamline the hiring and onboarding process and makes it more efficient for HR departments. The software offers features such as electronic signatures, custom workflows, and document storage, allowing companies to automate tasks and track progress all in one place. Additionally, BambooHR provides interactive training modules and support tools that help new hires feel welcome and supported throughout the onboarding process. 

📊 Efficient: Freshteam by Freshworks is employee onboarding software that simplifies the process and makes it easier for HR departments and new hires. The software offers features such as customizable checklists, automatic email notifications, and centralized document storage, which enable companies to automate tasks and streamline communication with new hires. Freshteam also provides a mobile app that allows new hires to complete onboarding tasks on the go. 

🌟 Innovative: HiBob uses innovative technology to simplify the onboarding process for HR departments and new hires. The platform offers features such as automated workflows, personalized onboarding plans, and real-time feedback tools. HiBob also integrates with other HR software systems, making it easy for companies to manage the entire employee lifecycle in one place.

🦾 Paperless: Deel streamlines the hiring process and simplifies paperwork. Deel features include electronic signatures, automated contract generation, and centralized document storage, which enable companies to save time and eliminate errors associated with manual paperwork. Deel also provides templates for various types of contracts and policies, making it easy for companies to ensure compliance with local regulations. With Deel, companies can reduce administrative work and focus on what matters most - welcoming and training new hires for success.

With the right onboarding software, companies can streamline the new hire process and create a more efficient and effective onboarding experience for both new hires and HR departments. From automating paperwork and task assignments to tracking the progress of new hires and providing training and support, onboarding software can help companies save time and money while improving the onboarding experience for everyone involved. 

By investing in the power of onboarding software, companies can optimize their onboarding process and set their new hires up for success while keeping pace with the changing landscape of HR technology. Additionally, as we look to the future, the role of AI and automation in HR software will only continue to grow, making it increasingly important for companies to stay up to date on the latest trends and technologies in order to remain competitive.

Enhanced Onboarding With The Help Of Software

And there you have it, folks! With these awesome employee onboarding software options, your new hires are sure to feel welcomed, engaged, and ready to hit the ground running. From the streamlined efficiency of Deel to the playful engagement of Doozy, these software options offer something for every company. 

Make sure to consider the needs and goals of your company and new hires when choosing which software to use. With the right employee onboarding software, you can create a positive first impression and set your new employees up for success. Happy onboarding!

Supercharge your employee onboarding with Doozy Introductions, and help your new hires feel part of the team from day one!

Enhance your employee onboarding: Our top tools for employee onboarding

Employee engagement.
Built for Slack.

Introductions, celebrations, quizzes, icebreakers, trivia, socials. All in one place.

Effortless setup

Fully automated

HR integrations

Incredible support

Used by great teams

Celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and more

Automate 1:1 and group introductions

Play trivia and create custom quizzes

Organise fun socials with team games

Doozy integrates with your tools

Sync employee data with your HRIS

Connect your work calendar

You'll be up and running in under 5 minutes

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Ready to connect your team? Let's Doozy!

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Employee engagement. Built for Slack.